CFR > Title 16 - Commercial Practices > CHAPTER II—CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION > SUBCHAPTER B—CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS (parts 1101 to 1450) > PART 1115—SUBSTANTIAL PRODUCT HAZARD REPORTS > SUBPART C—Guidelines and Requirements for Mandatory Recall Notices (§1115.23 to §1115.29) > 1115.26—Guidelines and policies.

1115.26—Guidelines and policies.

(a) General. (1) A recall notice should provide sufficient information and motivation for consumers and other persons to identify the product and its actual or potential hazards, and to respond and take the stated action. A recall notice should clearly and concisely state the potential for injury or death.
(2) A recall notice should be written in language designed for, and readily understood by, the targeted consumers or other persons. The language should be simple and should avoid or minimize the use of highly technical or legal terminology.
(3) A recall notice should be targeted and tailored to the specific product and circumstances. In determining the form and content of a recall notice, the manner in which the product was advertised and marketed should be considered.
(4) A direct recall notice is the most effective form of a recall notice.
(5) At least two of the recall notice forms listed in subsection (b) should be used.
(b) Form of recall notice—(1) Possible forms. A recall notice may be written, electronic, audio, visual, or in any other form ordered by the Commission in an order under section 15(c) or (d) of the CPSA (15 U.S.C. 2064(c) or (d)), or by a United States district court under section 12 of the CPSA (15 U.S.C. 2061 ). The forms of, and means for communicating, recall notices include, but are not limited to:
(i) Letter, Web site posting, electronic mail, RSS feed, or text message;
(ii) Computer, radio, television, or other electronic transmission or medium;
(iii) Video news release, press release, recall alert, Web stream, or other form of news release;
(iv) Newspaper, magazine, catalog, or other publication; and
(v) Advertisement, newsletter, and service bulletin.
(2) Direct recall notice. A direct recall notice should be used for each consumer for whom a firm has direct contact information, or when such information is obtainable, regardless of whether the information was collected for product registration, sales records, catalog orders, billing records, marketing purposes, warranty information, loyal purchaser clubs, or other such purposes. Direct contact information includes, but is not limited to, name and address, telephone number, and electronic mail address. Forms of direct recall notice include, but are not limited to, United States mail, electronic mail, and telephone calls. A direct recall notice should prominently show its importance over other consumer notices or mail by including “Safety Recall” or other appropriate terms in an electronic mail subject line, and, in large bold red typeface, on the front of an envelope and in the body of a recall notice.
(3) Web site recall notice. A Web site recall notice should be on a Web site's first entry point such as a home page, should be clear and prominent, and should be interactive by permitting consumers and other persons to obtain recall information and request a remedy directly on the Web site.
(c) Languages. Where the Commission for purposes of an order under section 15(c) or (d) of the CPSA (15 U.S.C. 2064(c) or (d)), or a United States district court for purposes of an order under section 12 of the CPSA (15 U.S.C. 2061 ), determines that it is necessary or appropriate to adequately inform and protect the public, a recall notice may be required to be in languages in addition to English. For example, it may be necessary or appropriate to require a recall notice be in a language in addition to English when a product label is in a language in addition to English, when a product is marketed in a language in addition to English, or when a product is marketed or available in a geographic location where English is not the predominant language.